Why does my 6 month old shakes and trembles when nursing and falling asleep?

Mom Answers

I am writing this response as my wife is feeding our daughter and this same things just happened again - just like everyone else, starting at 4 1/2 months, she'll tremble when feeding or sucking and is tired or falling asleep. We are convinced, for now, it is normal. Here what our doc told us:
- Sit her up and she should stop (that is a good sign)
- As long as she stays concious, that is good
- As long as it lasts a few seconds and not minutes, that is good
- Our doctor put a name on it. She said it is a baby version of myoclonic jerk or spasm. There is a good description on this page: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/twitching_and_jerking_in_babies.htm But please don't get freaked out by the references to epilepsy. The doc told us the shaking was normal and not to worry and that it's relation to any neurological problems would be indicated by more serious and obvious signs of a different problem. We hope that helps. Cheers!

My 5 1/2 month old son has done the same--3 times in the past few weeks. Always while nursing to sleep and he continues to nurse through it. Doc said if it was a seizure he would stop nursing and his eyes would roll back. He likened it to when we (adults) jerk ourselves awake just when we're falling asleep. Attributed it to his immature neurological system. He still did some physical tests to make sure he was developing okay, so you might want to see the doc if you haven't already. I've been looking online on this subject and there doesn't seem to be one tried and true answer, just that they'll probably grow out of it.

My son used to tremble very slightly while nursing. I read in another post of a mother who did all the tests (including an MRI) and found nothing wrong and the trembling dissappeared at 7 months. So I waited, and at 7 months it stopped. He's now 5 and perfectly normal.

The same thing just happened to my 5 month old daughter. She was sucking on the bottle and falling asleep, when suddenly she began to shake her arms and head. Our pediatrician believes she is okay, however, she is sending her to a neurologist for further testing.

Thanks for posting this - I've been experiencing the exact same thing with my 5 1/2 month old son and it's unnerving. Our doc also said it was due to an immature nervous system and that it's nothing to worry about. That said... I've been worrying as none of my friends have ever experienced this. I really appreciate the posts.

I've just noticed the same for my 5 1/2 month old son. I noticed he continues to nurse while it happens for about 15 seconds. I don't think it's a seizure but not sure. Any information or experiences out there?

I posted about this last year when my I was experiencing it with my infant son. Just wanted to post an update - we ended up speaking to a neurologist who said it sounded like Benign Neonatal Sleep Myoclonus and that he would grow out of it. I'm happy to report that he is nearly 18 months old now and is perfectly healthy and happy and hasn't had an episode in at least 8 months.

wow! I am so relieved to see so many posts on this subject! My 6 month old son has been trembling with falling asleep and drinking his bottle. My Pediatrician also says that it is due to an imature nervous system. However, recently he has started doing head twitches and shivers - I have noticed them mainly when he is tired. Ped. still says immature nervous system- but I have still been worried b/c I have never heard of this before! I feel so much better having read these posts! Thank you!

My son just started shaking while nursing and falling asleep last week. He is 5 1/2 months old, while nursing and falling asleep his arm and head would shake a little. The first time he did it I held his arm and the shaking stopped. The next two times he did it I stopped him from nursing and the shaking stopped. I am glad that other moms have experienced the same thing. When talking to my friends about this they said that they never had that happen to their children while nursing so of course I freaked out and called the Doctor. The doctor is sending my son for an EEG just to be sure it isn't anything to worry about. I felt good that the doctor is taking a step forward to see if there is any reason why he is shaking. I do feel better reading other responses and feel that what is described by other moms that this is just a startle reflex. I will keep you posted to let you know what the results are. Otherwise my son is a very active 5 1/2 month old and acts normal while playing

I'm so glad to read this! My baby started doing this last week (she's six months today). It's only happened twice, both while she was drifting to sleep while breastfeeding. I am asking her doctor about it tomorrow, but I was in tears with worry before I read this.

This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

This site is published by BabyCenter, L.L.C., which is responsible for its contents as further described and qualified in the Terms of Use.